


Utterly Dreadful

by afictionado



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-11
Updated: 2013-08-11
Packaged: 2017-12-23 04:18:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 865
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/921906
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/afictionado/pseuds/afictionado
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Just because he was the newest staff member on-campus didn't mean he needed a bloody celebration to bring attention to that fact. [Orig. published: April 13, 2010]</p>
            </blockquote>





	Utterly Dreadful

*****

Giles stared with a grimace at the cornucopia of food in front of him, none of the concoctions looking particularly appetizing. Still, he clutched his plate, napkin and fork, contemplating just what culinary travesty would cause less indigestion later on. He still couldn't comprehend this odd tradition, this... 'potluck' or whatever it had been called... or why it was forced upon him by the rest of the faculty. Just because he was the newest staff member on-campus didn't mean he needed a bloody celebration to bring attention to that fact.

Plus, he had more important things to do with his time than fritter it away at some useless banquet of sub-par food. Buffy, his assigned Slayer, had arrived not a month ago and was already causing him plenty of stress. She was difficult to train, difficult to instruct... difficult in all aspects, really. A teenage girl through-and-through. She would need lots of his guidance and, consequently, much more of his patience. He had resigned himself to the unfortunate role of father until her belligerent attitude straightened itself out.

Yes, the last thing he needed at the moment was a silly potluck. Much less a potluck of this nature, where he couldn't tell whether to consume the food or send it off to some lab for analysis.

"Chicken salad."

The voice startled him, and Giles spun around, meeting the gaze of the brown-eyed stranger who had addressed him. "B-Beg pardon?"

A musical giggle sounded, followed by a crinkling of a pert nose, and then, "The chicken salad. It's edible, I promise."

"I suppose you're the school's dietician, then?"

Rolling her eyes, she smirked at him. "Close. Except not at all. I'm the computer science teacher." And she stuck out her hand, lips still upturned in a slight little smile as she introduced herself. "Jenny Calendar."

He clasped her hand in his, shaking it politely as he returned, "Rupert Giles."

"Rupert. Nice name."

Immediately, he tensed. "Oh really. As if 'Jenny' is really any bett--"

"I mean it," she intoned softly, with an amiable smile. Tilting her head, she added thoughtfully, "It's... classy."

He raised his eyebrows. "Classy."

"Yes. Refined. But of course, you _are_ British. Don't mean to stereotype, but you guys are kinda known for your refinement."

"Yes, and..." His eyes flicked over her briefly, assessing her. "What is it, exactly, that computer teachers are known for?"

Chin raised in a challenge, she lifted a perfectly-sculpted brow and quipped, "Our charm and good looks." Off his expression, a bit perplexed and a bit taken aback, she began to giggle.

The sound was disarming, almost startlingly-so, and Giles just watched her nose crinkle once more as she continued to giggle, laying a hand on his forearm. "I'm totally messing with you, England. Take it easy."

"Oh. R-Right. Yes." He exhaled a smile, a bit bashfully, and ducked his gaze away, scooping a small portion of chicken salad onto his plate.

"So what do you do here, Rupert?"

"I'm the, uh... the new librarian, it would seem."

Smirking once more, she raised her brows. "It would seem that way, huh? Well, glad to have you here. We should talk later."

Giles frowned in momentary confusion. "Forgive me, Ms. Calendar, but... are we not talking right now?"

Grinning, she told him, "We're making small talk. And I dunno about you, but _I_ happen to be doing a teensy bit of flirting, too. Later, we'll talk."

Tripped up momentarily at the mention of flirting, Giles moved his mouth over soundless words, eventually stammering out, "T-Talk about what exactly?"

"My plans for your library."

"Excuse me?"

She raised her eyebrows. "Didn't Principal Flutie mention? We're phasing out that old card-catalogue system and replacing it with a computerized search function. Getting rid of that-that..." She waved dismissively, making a face. "That goofy decimal thing."

"What on Earth for?"

Chuckling lightly, she shrugged. "Because it's outdated."

At that, Giles set his plate down and took a step forward. "The Dewey decimal system is by no means outdated. On the contrary, Ms. Calendar, it's a system that stands the test of time. And, might I add, it is far more accurate than any of your complicated..." he, too, waved dismissively, curling his lip in derision. "Computer systems."

His annoyance seemed to only deepen as a slow smile plucked at the edges of her full lips. "Wow."

"What?"

"This is gonna be fun."

"What is? Bursting into my library for the express purpose of dumping some complicated machinery on me that I will never use?"

"Nope." Leaning close, she met his eyes through her lashes and answered lowly, "Ruffling your feathers."

And with that, she sauntered past him, tossing him a coy look over her shoulder. Giles watched her go, trying his best not to focus on her lithe legs or the taunting sway of her hips, though he couldn't help the smirk tugging at his lips as he muttered, "She's utterly dreadful."

Then, he tossed his plate in the garbage and headed back to the library, glad to be rid of the computer teacher's rather flustering presence, though he was unable to explain the sudden spring in his step.

"Utterly dreadful indeed."

 

**FIN**


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